Dillard a strong finisher

The odds never have been all that great for Homewood-Flossmoor point guard Kevin Dillard.

He came into this world with the moniker "Little" attached to his first name because his 22-year-old father of the same name was known as Big Kevin.

Then, at the age of 18 months, Dillard's mother and big Kevin's fiance, 22-year-old Latinga Daniels, died from a heart condition.

"We leaned on each other," Kevin Sr. said, remembering a time when he was out of work and trying to raise a child. "Once when I was having a particularly bad night, 3-year-old Kevin looked over at me and said: 'Daddy, it's going to be OK.'"

Little Kevin seemingly was born with a resolve to buck the system. Summoning all the dedication and athleticism that his 6-foot, 168-pound body would allow, he defied the prevailing wisdom of a sport usually dominated by bigger men.

An unyielding work ethic forged by father-mandated 6 a.m. workouts as a 3rd-grader combined with a zeal to prove something to the world, Dillard has transformed himself into the best high school basketball player in the state.

"It's a blessing, and I don't think I could be any happier," Dillard said upon learning he was selected as Mr. Basketball of Illinois by a statewide vote of coaches and media. "At the beginning of the season, I don't think anybody thought I had a chance to win Mr. Basketball."

The award is presented by the Tribune and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

While much of the early hype surrounded 6-10 center Michael Dunigan of Farragut, 6-4 Oak Park point guard Iman Shumpert and 6-9 Simeon center Stanley Simpson, Dillard turned in a magnificent season.

An eye-popping three-game run at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament against Fenwick (23 points, six steals), Von Steuben (27 points, five assists, seven steals) and Class 3A champion Marshall (27 points, five assists, six steals) earned him the most valuable player award.

Dillard, who has signed with Southern Illinois, scored 35 points against Bolingbrook, 31 against Joliet and had 24 points and six steals against Young.

But nothing topped the 36 points he scored against Rockford Boylan on Feb. 17, just hours after attending the funeral of his grandmother, Vera Daniels, who died of pneumonia.

"That was really rough because we were so close," Dillard said. "I just wanted to dedicate everything I did in that game to her."

Big Kevin, who was a point guard at Bremen and now works for the CTA while also officiating women's college basketball games, used to bring his son to his playground and church-league games. Little Kevin had a baby crossover move at the age of 4, and the full extent of his ballhandling wizardry won't be revealed until he reaches the next level.

"He is simply amazing to watch when he has the ball in his hands," H-F coach Jim McLaughlin said. "He has the uncanny ability to change speeds at the drop of a dime and the ability to shoot the three-pointer.

"Kevin is simply one of the most explosive scoring point guards I have seen in the last 20 years."

Dillard averaged 23.3 points, 5.6 assists, 5.1 steals and 4.3 rebounds while shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc and 87 percent from the free-throw line in leading H-F to a 27-2 season.

"I guess I had to grow up a little faster than most kids," Dillard said. "It was an interesting journey. My dad was sort of like my best friend. I could come to him about anything."

Well, except for the time he skipped school three days in a row in 3rd grade.

"I swear, two of those days, I missed the school bus and went back home," Dillard protested.

What about the third time?

"Yeah, I stayed home on purpose," Dillard admitted with a sheepish smile. When big Kevin found out, the disciplinary action left his son with an unforgettable pain in the butt.

The elder Dillard married Sandra Dillard when Kevin was 6 and was divorced three years later. Little Kevin has two brothers from that union -- Jordan, 13, and Jarrett, 10 -- who live with their mother.

Two years ago, big Kevin -- who turned 40 on Thursday -- married Chimille Dillard, 33, who heads the science department at Homewood-Flossmoor. Little Kevin's stepsisters Kamille, 10, and Kennedy, 6, live with him in their Homewood home.

Dillard rarely goes anywhere without his two closest friends, Tunde Adigun and Steve Thilpott. They once went on a neighborhood tour of asphalt-driveway basketball, winning 21 straight games of three-on-three.

"Kevin got to be Kobe, Tunde was LeBron, and I had to be Ben Wallace," Thilpott said with a laugh.

During a time when Chimille thought Dillard was being influenced by teens from the wrong crowd, she urged him to remember what Adigun and Thilpott have meant to him.

"I don't think a guy could have any better friends than Tunde and Steve," Dillard said.

"I'm studying sports medicine in college," Thilpott said. "If Kevin makes it to the NBA, I can be his personal trainer."

Dillard and Thilpott glanced over at Adigun. "I'll be the groupie," he said with a laugh.

Of course, the last laugh belongs to this little point guard whose stature is bigger now than anyone else in Illinois high school hoops.

2008 MR. BASKETBALL OF ILLINOIS VOTING

Players received 5 points for first-place votes, 3 for second, 1 for third